Grote Reber
Grote Reber was a pioneer of radio astronomy, which combined his interests in amateur radio and amateur astronomy. He was instrumental in investigating and extending Karl Janskys pioneering work, and conducted the first sky survey in the radio frequencies.
Reber was born and raised in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and graduated from Armour Institute of Technology in 1933 with a degree in electrical engineering. He was an amateur radio operator , and worked for various radio manufacturers in Chicago from 1933 to 1947.
Source: Wikipedia